Fitness app Strava lights up staff at military bases

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Strava

Security concerns have been raised after a fitness tracking firm showed the exercise routes of military personnel in bases around the world.

Online fitness tracker Strava has published a “heatmap” showing the paths its users log as they run or cycle.

It appears to show the structure of foreign military bases in countries including Syria and Afghanistan as soldiers move around them.

The US military was examining the heatmap, a spokesman said.

How does Strava work?

San Francisco-based Strava provides an app that uses a mobile phone’s GPS to track a subscriber’s exercise activity.

It uses the collected data, as well as that from fitness devices such as Fitbit and Jawbone, to enable people to check their own performances and compare them with others.

It says it has 27 million users around the world.

What is the heatmap?

The latest version of the heatmap was released by Strava in November last year.

It is a data visualisation showing all of the activity of all of its users around the world.

Strava says the newest version has been built from one billion activities – some three trillion points of data, covering 27 billion km (17bn miles) of distance run, jogged or swum.

But it is not a live map. The data aggregates the activities recorded between 2015 and September 2017.

So why is it in the news now?

That is thanks to Nathan Ruser, a 20-year-old Australian university student who is studying international security at the Australian National University and also works with the Institute for United Conflict Analysts.

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He said he came across the map while browsing a cartography blog last week.

It occurred to him that a large number of military personnel on active service had been publicly sharing their location data and realised that the highlighting of such exercises as regular jogging routes could be dangerous.

“I just looked at it and thought, ‘oh hell, this should not be here – this is not good,’” he told the BBC.

“I thought the best way to deal with it is to make the vulnerabilities known so they can be fixed. Someone would have noticed it at some point. I just happened to be the person who made the connection.”

What does the heatmap show?

Although the location of military bases is generally well-known and satellite imagery can show the outline of buildings, the heatmap can reveal which of them are most used, or the routes taken by soldiers.

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It displays the level of activity – shown as more intense light – and the movement of personnel inside the walls.

It also appears that location data has been tracked outside bases – which may show commonly used exercise routes or patrolled roads.

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Mr Ruser said he was shocked by how much detail he could see. “You can establish a pattern of life,” he said.

A significant risk

By Jonathan Marcus, defence and diplomatic correspondent

Many years ago, operational security was a relatively simple matter of not being physically overheard by the enemy.

Think of the British WWII poster with the slogan “Careless Talk Costs Lives”.

Well, no more. Our modern electronic age means that we all move around with a number of “signatures”; we send and receive a variety of signals, all of which can be tracked. And as the episode with the exercise tracker shows, you do not need to be an American or Russian spy to be able to see and analyse these signals.

Russian troops have been tracked in Ukraine or in Syria by studying their social media interactions or geo-location data from their mobile phone images.

Each piece of evidence is a fragment, but when added together it could pose a significant risk to security – in this case highlighting the location of formerly secret bases or undisclosed patterns of military activity.

Which bases are affected and why?

The app is far more popular in the West than elsewhere and major cities are aglow with jogging routines.

But in remote areas foreign military bases stand out as isolated “hotspots” and the activities of a single jogger can be illuminated on dark backgrounds.

Exercise activities stand out in such countries as Syria, Yemen, Niger, Afghanistan and Djibouti, among others.

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In Syria, known Coalition (i.e. US) bases light up the night. Some light markers over known Russian positions, no notable colouring for Iranian bases.

— Tobias Schneider (@tobiaschneider) January 27, 2018

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A US base at Tanf in Syria, near the Iraqi border, is an illuminated oblong, while forward bases in Helmand, Afghanistan, are also lit up.

Although US bases have been frequently mentioned it is by no means just an American problem.

One image shows the perimeter of the main Russian base in Syria, Hmeimim, and possible patrol routes.

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The UK’s RAF base at Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands is also lit up with activity, as are popular swimming spots nearby.

And it is not exclusively the more remote areas either. Jeffrey Lewis in the Daily Beast highlights one potential security flaw at a Taiwan missile command centre.

Neither is it just military personnel who could be affected, but also aid workers and NGO staffers in remoter areas too.

Both state and non-state actors could use the data to their advantage.

Can’t you apply a privacy setting?

Yes. The settings available in Strava’s app allow users to explicitly opt out of data collection for the heatmap – even for activities not marked as private – or to set up “privacy zones” in certain locations.

Strava has not said much since the concerns were raised but it released a brief statement highlighting that the data used had been anonymised, and “excludes activities that have been marked as private and user-defined privacy zones”.

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I regret to inform you that there is no Strava activity at Punggye-ri, North Korea’s nuclear test site.

— Adam Rawnsley (@arawnsley) January 27, 2018

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But journalist Rosie Spinks is one of those who has expressed concern at the privacy system.

In an article for Quartz last year she said there was too much onus on the consumer to navigate an opting-out system that required different levels.

Then there is the fear that hackers could access Strava’s database and find the details of individual users.

What have authorities said?

A US Department of Defense spokeswoman, Maj Audricia Harris, said it took “matters like these very seriously and is reviewing the situation to determine if any additional training or guidance is required”.

The US has been aware of such problems, publishing a tract called Enhanced Assessments and Guidance Are Needed to Address Security Risks in DOD.

In 2016, the US military banned Pokemon GO from government-issued mobile phones,

An image of the Pentagon on the Strava heatmap showed no activity.

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Strava

The UK’s Ministry of Defence said it also took “the security of its personnel and establishments very seriously and keeps them under constant review” but would not comment on specific security arrangements.

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The Best and Worst of the Grammys

But the essential Cardi B moment of the night came before the Grammy telecast began, with a psychedelic red carpet interview with E!’s Giuliana Rancic. Within the first 10 seconds, Cardi B said she had “butterflies in my stomach and vagina,” sending Ms. Rancic for a loop.

Ms. Rancic might have read up on Cardi B, but she was not prepared. There is a pat, practiced rhythm to red carpet interviews, a give and take of sycophantry and aw-shucks ego. Cardi B operates on a more instinctual level, meaning that at every turn, Ms. Rancic was flummoxed, befuddled and playing catch-up. It was three-plus minutes of old-style celebrity fluff getting crashed into and unmoored by new-style celebrity self-creation. JON CARAMANICA

The Best Would-Be Host

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For the second year in a row, James Corden, a full-time employee of CBS, hosted the Grammys. It should have been Dave Chappelle. The comedian — who went on to take home an award for best comedy album (one of nine televised awards, for some reason) — first appeared with Mr. Lamar, cutting a six-and-a-half minute, show-opening performance that was pure adrenaline with a few chances to catch one’s breath.

His commentary was pitch-perfect, acute in a way that much of the show failed to live up to. “I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America,” Mr. Chappelle said, deadpan. “Sorry for the interruption. Please, continue.” After another blistering segment by Mr. Lamar, Mr. Chappelle again played narrator. “Is this on cable? This is CBS?” he said. “It looks like he’s singing and dancing, but this brother’s taking enormous chances. Rumble, young man, rumble!”

Mr. Chappelle wasn’t done. Before introducing the nominees for best rap album, he gave the Grammys another quick jab to the ribs, highlighting the career of A Tribe Called Quest, which was notably left out of the category, much to the dismay of its leader (and Mr. Chappelle’s friend), Q-Tip. Mr. Chappelle did not quote the late Phife Dawg, but you could all but hear one of his classic rhymes between the lines: “I never let a statue tell me how nice I am.” JOE COSCARELLI

Kesha’s #MeToo Moment

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As the Grammys approached, it became increasingly clear that the burden of a #MeToo moment would fall on Kesha, the pop star who accused her longtime producer, Dr. Luke, of years of abuse in a 2014 lawsuit; Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, has denied the accusations. The Grammys, unlike the Golden Globes and the Oscars, are not known for speeches, which is why Janelle Monáe’s introduction to Kesha’s performance felt potent: “We say time’s up for pay inequality, time’s up for discrimination, time’s up for harassment of any kind, and time’s up for the abuse of power,” she announced. Kesha didn’t stand alone — she came with backup, a chorus of women in white led by Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Andra Day and Bebe Rexha. Her performance of “Praying,” a ballad off “Rainbow,” her first album since 2012, was an emotional exorcism. Singing directly to an antagonist — “You brought the flames and you put me through hell/I had to learn how to fight for myself” — she trembled, she screeched, she slipped around the song’s melody. And she fell into the women’s arms as the audience rose to its feet. CARYN GANZ

A Newcomer Stands on Her Own

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Although none of her five nominations led to Grammy Awards, SZA still came out ahead in a way: She was the only nominee for best new artist who got to perform a full song on her own. In “Broken Clocks,” she sang about a frustratingly iffy relationship, topping a slow-swaying vamp with jazzy, asymmetrical vocal lines that could dart nervously ahead, pivot suddenly, linger over a quivering tone and declaim a chorus. She was too distinctive to shoehorn into some Grammy medley. JON PARELES

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The Gutsiest Performance (by an Artist and a Child)

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Childish Gambino, the novelty rap-turned-soul rewind project of the polymath Donald Glover, was this year’s left-field nominee for album and record of the year. But instead of playing it safe and using his performance slot to do “Redbone,” the nominated song and surprise hit from the nominated album, “Awaken, My Love!,” Mr. Glover did one of the only truly risky things that can be done to subvert this often overly reverential variety show: He played a song that pretty much no one has heard. And, with “Terrified,” backed by a band that did not appear to be miming to a prerecorded track, he stuck the landing. A cameo from the preteen child actor and musician J.D. McCrary, who nailed his notes, was an added bonus — not to mention great synergy for the forthcoming live-action remake of “The Lion King,” in which Mr. McCrary was cast as the young Simba to Mr. Glover’s grown Simba. Then, immediately after, an Apple commercial used a big chunk of “Redbone.” That’s called having it both ways. JOE COSCARELLI

Camila Cabello Speaks for Dreamers

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Ms. Cabello, the former member of Fifth Harmony whose solo debut album just went to No. 1, stepped out of Kesha’s backup choir to speak up for Dreamers. Born in Havana, Ms. Cabello was brought to the United States by her Cuban mother as a child and allowed in; her Mexican father later joined them. “Just like the Dreamers,” she said, “my parents brought me to this country with nothing in their pockets but hope. They showed me what it means to work twice as hard and never give up.” She quoted the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty and introduced U2, performing on a windblown barge with the statue behind the band. Every so often, Bono raised his arm the way the statue holds its torch. The song doesn’t entirely add up — it veers between self-help and political resistance — but lines like “The face of liberty’s starting to crack” and “The promised land is there for those who need it most” couldn’t have had a better backdrop. JON PARELES

The Most Unexpected Shout-out

Among current artists least likely to ever be given a moment at the Grammys, Mozzy, the Sacramento street rapper who appears to operate a solar system away from the music industry (in a good way), would have seemed like a safe bet. So to hear Mr. Lamar invoke the budding cult favorite — “As my guy Mozzy say, you know, God up top all the time” — in his acceptance speech for best rap album was a welcome gift for, probably, dozens, and not even ostentatious enough to be baffling for the millions who almost definitely missed it altogether. During a show that tends to work broad, to say the least, you’ve got to take the Easter eggs where you can find them. JOE COSCARELLI

Rihanna Digs Deep

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On a night where Lady Gaga, Pink and Miley Cyrus chose balladeering over strutting, the job of being a first-class pop star was left to Rihanna. The overarching aesthetic of this performance of DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” with Bryson Tiller may have been less than clear, but it was joyous, and Rihanna threw herself into the moment, delighting online observers by breaking into the South African dance called gwara gwara. She punched her choreography with extra oomph while singing live, throwing ferocious faces and showing the world that she was having the most fun of anyone in Madison Square Garden. CARYN GANZ

The Worst

Limp Song Selection

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On a night in which two of the most dynamic album of the year nominees, Jay-Z and Lorde, did not take the stage (with Jay-Z reportedly turning down his slot and Lorde having not been offered her own showcase), the static performances stuck out even more than usual. Aged songs with questionable or forced relevance — Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” Patti LuPone’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” — were well-executed but unnecessary, while ballads by a dressed-down, feet-on-the-ground Pink (“Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”), Broadway’s Ben Platt (“Somewhere,” from “West Side Story”) and a piano-bound Lady Gaga (“Joanne,” “Million Reasons”) were limp or snoozy. Even what should have been a guaranteed gut-punch — the country music tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas concert shooting — ended up a head-scratcher because of the choice to cover Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” As Bruno Mars put it when he won record of the year for “24K Magic”: “Come on, turn it up one more time — too many ballads tonight!” Untapped nominated acts like Migos, Lil Uzi Vert and even Cardi B, who was relegated to two quick guest verses, could only nod in agreement — that is, if they were still paying attention. JOE COSCARELLI

Shutouts

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Forget winning Grammys, or even sweeping all the major categories: all the cool kids are getting shut out! Jay-Z was this year’s most nominated artist, with eight nods for his album “4:44” and various songs and videos from it, but he went home empty-handed. Lorde was nominated for album of the year, but didn’t win. (She was spotted in the audience clutching a flask, though.) Cardi B: two nominations and no awards. And SZA, nominated five times, won no trophies. What was it Phife Dawg said again? JON CARAMANICA

No Big Prize for ‘Despacito’

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“Despacito” conquered the world in 2017 with billions of views and streams, but it couldn’t get a top Grammy as record of the year or song of the year. That would have been a milestone for Spanish-language pop (even though the version featuring Justin Bieber boosted the song’s popularity in the United States). Instead, the Recording Academy retreated to the funk nostalgia of Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic.” Onstage at Madison Square Garden, “Despacito” was back to its original Puerto Rican performers, the singer and songwriter Luis Fonsi and the reggaeton rapper and singer Daddy Yankee. They sang and declaimed its come-ons with lascivious enthusiasm, surrounded by flashing pastel lights and gyrating showgirls suggesting Las Vegas — or the Latin Grammys. The song’s global spread isn’t over; a Spanish/Mandarin version by Mr. Fonsi with the Singaporean pop star JJ Lin appeared in November. JON PARELES

Subway Karaoke

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James Corden’s trademark “Carpool Karaoke” is usually a harmless bit of talk-show host self-promotion. But Mr. Corden’s comedy also has another recurring shtick: self-humiliation. He carried Sting and Shaggy into it with a fake-vérité “subway karaoke” bit, as they sang old hits and a new collaboration to a stereotypically hostile Noo Yawk reception that was predictable from the setup. The Grammys tried to atone to Sting and Shaggy; that new song got two more plugs, as a stage performance and as walk-on music for Sting, who presented song of the year. JON PARELES

A Choir to Lean On

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The Grammys rarely if ever showcase actual gospel music — and this would have been a great year to do so! — but choirs abound, providing sturdy ballast for unsteady performers. Generally, the choirs are black, the performers white. To wit: Sam Smith performed his new ballad “Pray” on Sunday night, but it was dolorous until the backing choir arrived to uplift him at the first chorus. But no choir in the world could make Mr. Smith any warmer than temperate, any cooler than lukewarm. JON CARAMANICA

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